


Rickrolled by Life

by Mysoultogive



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Alice is only slightly more emotionally mature than these two idiots, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Eliot refuses to make the same mistakes, Gen, He’s very offended, Jane Chatwin goes from being a shady good guy to a shady bad guy, M/M, Margo just wants them to bang already, Now he’s alive, Penny cannot believe that Quentin actually listened to him, Quentin died, Quentin is confused, Sorry Not Sorry, Time Magic, maybe I can never tell with her, of all fucking times, who happens to be trying to do a good thing?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-04-24 08:28:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19169527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysoultogive/pseuds/Mysoultogive
Summary: In which none of these Questers know how to give up.





	1. What Bullshit is this?

**Author's Note:**

> my endless attempt at time travel, only this time people can actually read it.

When Quentin died, he thought, _ well this is it. I finally managed to do something worthwhile with my life. _

Talking with Penny was strange, freeing but strange. Knowing that his friends were going to be fine, or at least as fine as they could be given all the shit they had been through was a weight off of his shoulders. Quentin was  _ ready _ , holding the metro card in his hand he took a deep breath and walked through the doorway. 

And then he woke up. 

Which was such  _ bullshit _ . 

Waking up in a hospital room? After everything he’s gone through? Had it been a dream, a hallucination? Had any of it been real? 

Quentin needed to get the fuck out of this hospital and figure out what was going on. He needed to figure out if magic was real. If  _ any  _ of what he went through was real. Getting out was easier than he expected, his memory had been hazy but Quentin could have sworn it had felt so much harder the first time around. Whatever, he wasn’t going to question it. 

His old apartment looked the same. Nothing was changed. Making a beeline for his room, Quentin plugged his phone in before deciding to turn the screen down. He’d hear the notifications of new messages but he wouldn’t see them. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see them.

Instead he tried to do magic. Which considering this body had never tapped into the excess ambient magic before, practicing magic was harder than he thought it would be. Quentin must have been sitting there for nearly three hours, thoughts swirling around in his head trying to convince him that it had all been  _ fake _ . That Eliot and Margo weren’t real and that he really ought to have known  _ that  _ \- before beautiful, colorful,  _ magical _ fireworks appeared above his head. 

Alright, magic was real and Quentin wasn’t insane. That was good to know, now came trying to figure out what the  _ fuck _ had happened. Quentin was 78% sure he had died? He remembered Everett and the sparks. He remembered Alice screaming, and he remember Penny23 actually listening to him for once. Then of course, there had been the time of him talking to Penny40, who was now a Secret Keeper, or something to that effect? Penny had been nice to him, that had been confusing. 

So he had died. And now he wasn't dead? Or was this some twisted version of the afterlife? Quentin was pretty sure that the afterlife wasn’t supposed to be a punishment. Most of the time.  

But no, if he thought like that then nothing would change. And Quentin wanted things to  _ change _ . For starters, no messing up his various romantic relationships this time around. He would never not love Alice, but now when Quentin was no longer balancing on the edge of  _ everything _ , he felt guilty. He had been using Alice as a lifeline, as a reason to keep taking a step forward until he had run out steps to take. It wasn’t about truly wanting to start again with her. He had been high off of seeing them so drunk on new love that he had for one moment wanted to feel that drunk off of love again. But he couldn’t do that, not to Alice, not again. Because Quentin was going to be honest with himself, and that meant admitting that his heart was set on someone else. His heart was set on Eliot. Even if it meant waiting for 50 years to prove that Quentin wasn’t going anywhere. 

He would build an actual friendship with Alice this time around, and maybe even get off on a better foot with Penny?  _ Oh god Penny _ , Quentin thought. His shields were shit, Penny would see through them in seconds and be spooked. Fuck okay, next thing he would have to work on after figuring out a good, or at least working, plan. 

His phone started ringing, it was Julia. For a moment his heart stopped beating. Julia, what was he going to do about Julia? He couldn’t let her go through Reynard, but he also couldn’t just blurt out why he didn’t want her to go through with calling on Our Lady of the Underground. Quentin could just see how well that would go over,  _ Well Julia, you can’t try to summon this very powerful goddess because your being tricked by a Trickster god! How do I know this after not being by your side every day like we used to be? Or even before you’ve even decided to do this? Oh well that’s because I’m from the future! No I’m not lying. Why was I avoiding you? Oh that’s cause I broke my promise I made to you when I was 16. Hmm? Oh suddenly I can’t read. Bye Jules!   _

Yeah, that would have gone over well with her. So no talking to Jules until Brakebills, Quentin concluded. Otherwise he’d break into a billion pieces and nothing would get done and they would all die horrible bloody deaths at the hands of the beast, and God Quentin couldn’t believe they had to deal with  _ that  _ again. 

An alarm went off. Quentin blinked as he stared at his phone. Did he set an alarm? Picking it up he took a look at what the alarm was for. 

YALE INTERVIEW was written on his phone screen as Taylor Swift played out of his speakers. He had forgotten about that all told. Did Quentin even go? It’s not like he’s going to go to Yale, in fact the only thing that really happened to affect his immediate future was Jane - holy shit  _ Jane _ . So Quentin was going to the Yale Interview, where hopefully he would once more meet Jane Chatwin. Not that she knew that he knew who she was but that was besides the point. Time to go meet the maker, again. 

* * *

Finding a dead body was just as disturbing as it had always been. The fact that Quentin hadn’t thought about the man being dead when making this decision to follow the garden path hadn’t really registered. Too late now, he supposed. He was staring at a dead body and Jane was in front of him giving him an examination for shock. Before smiling enigmatically while handing him the sixth Fillory and Further book. 

“Here, I think this was meant for you.” Quentin eyes flicked down at the book before back up at Jane. 

“Alright.” He accepted the book, “Can I go now?” 

“Yeah, of course. The Police have your number in case further questions are needed.” 

“Great. I’m just gonna -” Quentin jerked his thumb over his shoulder and awkwardly began to leave. Jane didn’t take her eyes off of him once during the entire exchange. He forgotten how nerve wracking her ability to project the idea that she knew everything was. The farther away from her he got the more annoying it actually became. 

Quentin stopped for a moment, and just stared at the book in his hands. 

_ Fillory and Further; Book Six: The Magicians _ . 

He had never gotten to read it last time, Penny had but Quentin hadn’t had the time to interrogate him over the details of the book. Thumbing through the papers, Quentin plucked the first chapter out of the stack, and then shoved the rest of the book into his bag. He could read and walk at the same time god dammit. Who knows, maybe the book is actually helpful. 

Fifteen pages in and Quentin wanted to scream. This book - he couldn’t believe - the  _ audacity  _ of Jane Chatwin. It was one thing to acknowledge the fact that someone you loved turned into a monster, it was another to use the crimes they committed as a way to justify the trauma they had gone through as a child. 

Quentin stopped reading, his eyes to the sky as he took in fortifying breaths. He would read this to the end but by god was he going to have words with Jane. Like it wasn’t bad enough that she was messing with their lives with time magic, while blaming them for whole fact that they even did anything about The Beast, but to also turn around and just  _ blame _ a child for being abused? She was seriously trying to justify everything that happened? 

A blast of wind swirled around Quentin, catching the top page of the manuscript and throwing it on the ground. For one wild moment Quentin considered not following the paper. He considered simply turning around, going to his dad, and curling up on his old bed. But then he thought of Eliot, of Margo, and Alice, and Kady, hell even Penny, Fen, and Josh. He couldn’t walk away. So he followed it. 

He followed it down the street, and then down a dark alley. Right up to a iron wrought fence. Steeling himself, he threw his bag over and then followed. Right into the hedges. 

Quentin stumbled out of the hedges and saw the expanse of Brakebills. Of its wide green lawn and picturesque campus. And there laying down in a study of ease was  _ Eliot _ . Quentin was pretty sure he couldn’t breathe. His legs taking him forward like they had the first time around until he was standing in front of his friend? Lover? Other half of his soul? Quentin wondered if they would ever be able to put a label on what they were. If they had that opportunity to do so this time around. 

Eliot swung himself up and over so that he was facing Quentin, and Quentin would swear in that moment that Eliot was literally glowing. Or perhaps the sun was framing him just right. But regardless, Quentin thought that there was nothing more beautiful to be seen. 

“ _ Quentin Coldwater? _ ” Eliot’s question brought Quentin crashing back down to the ground. This Eliot didn’t know him, didn’t love him. Jesus. How was he going to do this? He still didn’t know what made Eliot take an interest in him back then how was he supposed to repeat that? 

“Uh huh.” 

“I'm Eliot. Follow me, your late Coldwater.” 

Was that different? Quentin couldn’t remember if Eliot had said Quentin’s last name before. But everything else seemed similar, well as similar as he could remember. It had been a long time ago. It didn’t really matter, Quentin would follow Eliot just about anywhere now. 

“Um, hey, um where am I?” he decided to try and stick as closely as possible to the first meeting that Quentin could remember. 

“Upstate New York.”

“Upstate - what? Uh okay. What is this place?” 

“Brakebills University. You've been offered a preliminary exam for entry into the graduate program.”

“Am I hallucinating?” Quentin interrupted Eliot as they kept walking and talking towards the exam, and if Quentin wasn’t mistaken Eliot  _ softened  _ a little when he had asked that question. 

“If you were how would asking me that help? Come on, or you'll miss it.” 

Just before Quentin was about to walk past Eliot into the exam room, Eliot did an about turn and just for a moment stood looking at Quentin. Something flashed in his eyes, before he seemed to come to a decision. Reaching out Eliot carefully smoothed down a wrinkle on his jacket, his hands starting at Quentin’s shoulders before sliding down his arms. 

“Remember to breathe, and trust yourself. You’ll do better if you have faith.” Quentin was having difficulty swallowing, this had  _ definitely _ not happened last time around. 

“Okay” he squeaked out. Eliot let a full blown smirk crossed his face before pushing Quentin into the room. 

“Good luck!” He called. Quentin took in the exam room. He could spot all of his friends who where here last time including- 

Penny was looking at him. With his Quentin-is-being-an-idiot™ look. 

Kady was sitting next to him. 

And next to her was Alice. 

There was an empty seat between Penny and  _ Julia _ .

Penny pop an eyebrow as though to say  _ Well Coldwater? _

“Hi.” 

Kady’s fist jabbed out in front of Penny and hit Quentin in the shoulder. “Fuck you Coldwater.” 

“Kady!” Alice hissed. 

“No, no.” Julia murmured, laying a hand on Quentin other arm. “She's got a point.” 

“ _ Yeah _ Coldwater! What the hell! You weren’t supposed to listen to me! You never have before!” Penny snapped out. Before Quentin could open his mouth to defend himself or maybe just reason with his friends, Dean Henry Fogg announced his presence. 

And the Exam started. 

* * *

“Margo. Bambi.  _ What am I going to do? _ ” Eliot was slumped over on the couch of the cottage. He had been pacing but Margo had put a stop to that. 

“Your going to do exactly what you did last time Q passed the exam, only this time you’re not going to cock it all up by being chicken shit with your feelings. We caught them El, we have to women up about it.” Margo didn’t even look at him when she said this, too busy trying to pretend that doing her nails was more important. Eliot just slumped on her some more. 

“Bambi no. You weren’t there. He just - and you know - Q.” 

“Words El.” Eliot sat up and then quietly admitted to the hope that he wasn’t sure was real or just a product of his longing.  

“He looked at me like he knows me Bambi. Like… like he already  _ loved _ me.” That made Margo abandon her pretense of disinterest. 

“That fucker better remember us or I swear to god I’ll turn his balls into a crutch purse.” the naked hope that shone in her eyes was reflected in Eliot’s. 

“Now Bambi, I need you not to do that regardless if he remembers or not. I like those balls.” Eliot chided a smile growing on his face, he took a deep breath before jumping up. “You’ve convinced me, come along we have to be ready to sweep a nerd off his feet one way or another we’re going to get him.” Margo hummed a few notes, a pleased smirk curling up on her face. 

“Oh course we are, we’re the best.”

* * *

 

It was only as they started handing the Exams in did Quentin realize that  _ they had no plan _ . 

“Holy shit Jules! What are we going to do? If this is the  _ same _ -” 

“Cool it Coldwater before someone overhears us!” Kady had just handed in her blue book and was turning around, purposely bumping into him. 

“If,”Julia started “you hadn’t spent the past day avoiding me, you would know that we have a possible plan. Worst comes to worst I’ll just do a display of “accidental magic” that’s powerful enough to override what Dean Fogg want.” Quentin blinked. 

“We can do that? I mean override what Dean Fogg wants?” 

“I mean…” here the others seem to stall, “theoretically?” Julia looked sheepish. “We don’t always listen to him, do we?” 

A round of uncertain no’s came from the group as Julia and Quentin handed in their own books. 

“Please go to your assigned rooms. No loitering.” the dean's voice rang out. The group of them snapped around to look at him. He was staring at them in contemplation. “Move along now.” 

“See you later?” Quentin murmured. He received nods, before they all broke away.  _ At least _ , Quentin thought,  _ I wasn’t going insane with Eliot’s earlier reactions to him. At least, I hope I wasn’t. I suppose I’ll find out. _

 


	2. A Magic Trick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blue Book Exam is over time for everyone to - what do you mean there's a second exam. Okay Fine Then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NGL I am blown away by the response I got on this story. I've never had a story get so many comments! It means so much to me!!!!

When Julia Wicker handed in her blue book, she was fully prepared to be led away to that same small room and be told that she didn’t pass the written exam. Which was bullshit obviously, since she had passed it before when she didn’t know anything in the previous timelines and now definitely knew was more than what was on that test. But she wasn’t led to the same small room. She was in fact standing in a hallway she vaguely remember passing through but had never really paid attention to before. Glancing to the side she saw Quentin leaving the door at the end of the hall. When he saw her, he shrugged, Julia became a little concerned about everything. She had tried calling him several times yesterday, and he hadn’t answered her. Nor anyone else who tried contacting him.  

“Julia Wicker? Please follow me.” It was the Dean. Julia still didn’t know what to think of the man. He helped them just as much as he hurt them, but the school was his life. When it came to the lives and safety of the students, perhaps he was a more ends justify the means kind of guy. They would figure it out. Getting his complete loyalty would be a boon. 

Walking into the room was strange. Had they changed the process? Was it a different timeline? It shouldn’t have been. 

“Miss. Wicker, please perform some magic.” An unspoken  _ if you can  _ seem to ring out from one of the judges as she primly folder her hands in front of her, giving Julia an unimpressed look. Julia felt her hackles rise.  

“Do you have a deck of cards?” she plastered a sweet smile on her face, she couldn’t afford to give them any reason to not allow her in the program. She could feel Dean Fogg’s glaze on her, assessing and evaluating her every move. 

“Here.” a deck of cards was placed on the table. She strode forward and grabbed them. Walking backwards she began shuffling the cards, mind racing. She could do an actual card trick or some actual magic, which would be more believable? Which would actually get the attention of the judges? Well, the actual magic would get the attention of the judges but would it be good or bad attention? She began shuffling the cards faster, her nerves starting to nip at her heels. Some of the judges had stopped paying attention to her. 

“Do you believe in magic Miss Wicker?” Dean Fogg demanded, right next to Julia causing her to jump and almost drop the cards in her hand. 

“What?” She gulped. 

“Magic? Do you believe in it?” 

“Yeah, um, I mean you have no idea.” 

“Oh I think I have some idea. But now I need you to do some magic.” The stern and expectant look on Dean Fogg’s face causes Julia to give in to a knee jerk reaction of straightening her back and pushing her shoulders down. 

“Okay.” Julia turned away from Dean Fogg and back towards the judges, “okay” she whispered again. She swept her eyes across the judges one last time before she flung her hand out and let the cards fly into the air. 

And then, she caught them. 

And they danced around her in a circle, weaving in and out and around and around and  _ around _ . Julia felt tears burn at her eyes as the magic flowed through her.  The first piece of magic Quentin had done, the first piece of magic she had done after his death. And now the first piece of magic they had done at this new start. 

_ Together,  _ she thinks _ , we are going to be together. Side by side, back to back, no more being pitted against one another. Not ever again.  _

Murmurs of surprise came from the judges. 

“Miss Wicker, where did you learn to do this?” one of the judges at the end of the table leaned forward, a look of curiosity on their face. 

“Quentin Coldwater taught me, he’s my best friend.”  _ It wasn’t even a lie, _ Julia thought,  _ Quentin did teach her, he just happened to have been dead at the time. Semantics.  _

“Well, I think I can confidently say that you have a place here at Brakebills University Miss. Wicker.” Dean Fogg said, a smug tilt to his smile as he looked from her to the judges. Nods came from all of them. 

“Welcome to Brakebills Miss. Wicker.” 

* * *

It was a complete trip for Quentin to walk back into his first semester dorm room to find Penny just lounging on his bed. Penny surveyed Quentin as Quentin just stuttered out some sounds. Trying to form words that before the exam had actually wanted to pop out of his mouth. Now that he was confronted with Penny in real life he realized that his shields? Still shit. 

“Nah Shit Coldwater. You’re shields have always been and will always continue to be absolute shit.” Which of course set off another round of stuttering from Quentin because  _ Hey! He tried at those shields god dammit! _

“Whatever man.” Penny rolled his eyes, “Everyone's almost here anyways.” Quentin snapped his mouth shut and plopped down onto his bed. The door burst open and there was Kady and Alice. Kady didn’t hesitate to push Penny around until they were both comfortably situated on his bed. Alice just hovered awkwardly by his desk. Before anyone could say anything, Julia poked her head into the room. 

“Oh good, we are meeting here. Wasn’t sure if it would be the Cottage or something.” Quentin's nerves racked up about 100% because  _ oh my god Margo was probably going to kill him. _ Because the longer he sat here the more likely it looked like everyone remembered. And he had ignored them all of yesterday. None of them did well with being ignored, but Margo had a talent for picking out when someone had done it on purpose or not. But before Quentin could say so much as _ what the fuck _ Margo and Eliot had arrived. 

Eliot, who he had seen only a few hours ago and still hadn’t lost the halo of light around him. Who had no five o’clock shadow, who’s hair was short and just a smidgen curly. Wearing his old(new? Was it new here and now?) white suit looking young and hopeful and like a shining beacon of  _ love-  _

“Oh my god I didn’t sign up for this.” Penny muttered. 

“Yes you did.” Literally everyone said at the same time. Penny looked mildly betrayed at the fact that everyone was calling him out. 

“Now that we have that out of the way, Quentin. Everyone. We all know that we know right?” Eliot had paused momentarily when entering the room but now he was standing in front of Quentin. Quentin debated the merits of pulling Eliot down on top of him and just trapping him in a cuddle for the rest of eternity. 

The rest had been nodding at Eliot’s words, when Julia turn sharp eyed towards Quentin. 

“Q, you do know what we are talking about right? I mean you seemed to earlier at the Exam but do you remember  _ everything _ ?”

“By everything… do you mean dying?” Quentin asked sheepishly. Everyone around him either flinched or went still. 

“Yes.” Julia stated before pulling the same move Kady had earlier. Punching Quentin in the arm. “Dumb ass.” she snapped. “You promised me. Years ago Q!” 

This time Eliot took the initiative and settled himself next to Quentin, practically on his lap. He didn’t have to say anything, Quentin had once made him a similar promise. 

“ I know, Jules. I know and I am so sorry.” He let his eyes go from Julia to each person in the room, holding their own for a moment as he acknowledge the fact that yes, he did kill himself. He looked at Penny, Alice, and Eliot last. The two he made help and the one had been an anchor for him for so many years. “I regretted it, if that’s any consolation.” 

“Not really Coldwater. It would have been better if you have never done it in the first place.” Sniffed Margo, but she had been slowly inching her way across the room to stand on the other side of Eliot as though she could trick the people on his bed to make room for one more. 

“You can’t do it again. Not allowed, if I have to be human and alive then you have to be human and alive.” Alice declared. Quentin’s lips twitched, a smile starting to form. 

“Okay Alice.” he agreed. Eliot simply curled tighter around Quentin. 

“But, can I ask… how did this happen?” Quentin needed to know what the price for this particular piece of magic was going to be. Everyone in the room looked at each other awkwardly. 

“Well, um.” Julia started before letting her voice die out. No one else seemed willing to speak. 

“We don’t know.” It was Eliot who finally said it. “We couldn’t, wouldn’t accept you being dead. Fire memorial or not.” Here Penny looked guilty. “The ritual we did, it wasn’t supposed to be time travel, it was supposed to be a resurrection ritual. To bring you back, whole and unharmed.”

“While we’re not entirely sure why we time traveled instead, we can’t assume we’re still in timeline 40. After all, according to Jane every time time magic as involved a new timeline was created, instead of it just folding back onto the old timeline.” Alice was wringing her hands, her mind running a mile a minute trying to calculate the odds of what had happened to them versus what they had down verse what they could do without losing any advantage they already had with the knowledge sitting inside their brains. Once more awkward silence seem to settle on the group. 

“Waking up alive is trip and a half isn’t it Coldwater?” Penny spoke up. 

“That’s right,” Margo mused “Penny23 was the one who helped us cast this. Not Dead Penny40.” 

“Hey! Technically only my body died.” 

“That’s not any better.” Kady stated, “I will punch you if you say otherwise.” 

“Is it just me, or are you very…. Punchy today?” Julia asked. 

“I feel like punching someone.” Was the only reply she got. 

“Okay then.” 

“Back to the matter at hand?” Eliot demanded. “How and why are we here? Not that I’m complaining. Quentin is alive and whole and oh my god. I get it.” 

“What?” 

“How?” 

“What happened?” the entire group demanded at once, all of them leaning closer to Eliot, with Quentin turning so he could look directly at him. 

“We wanted Quentin Alive and Whole. Whole encompassed his mind, body and soul. And Q, I love you but …” Quentin really hated that phrase coming from Eliot’s mouth. “Magic wasn’t kind to you. Not since the moment you got here to Brakebills. It carved up pieces of you and ate it all up until…” 

“Until there was nothing left.” Quentin finished. 

“Even being separated from Julia in the beginning, the bond the two of you have? Probably fractured a little, with having the weight of Brakebills between the two of you.” 

“And we were doing Soul Magic, really.” Alice continued picking up the direction Eliot had realized. “Not necromancy not really. After all we didn’t want you to still be dead. We wanted to undo the death. And the only way to undo death is to undo time. So our soul bonds that we used, between everyone and Quentin, they had more to do with our relationship to Quentin than his relationship to us. The magic took what we considered as Alive and Whole and just sent  _ us  _ there instead of sending  _ Quentin  _ to  _ us _ .” 

“But, what about Penny? I mean no offence but it was 23 not 40 who cast the spell.” Julia was starting to jiggle her leg in nerves. If Penny23 had been sent back to Timeline 23… she wasn’t sure what she could or even should do. 

“I don’t know, I assume… well I assume that he either got sent back to the moment he first met you Julia or to the equivalent point of his timeline to where we are. The moment he first considered Quentin23 Alive and Whole.” 

“Hell,” Margo interrupted “Maybe him being from a whole other timeline is even why time magic got mixed up in this whole shebang.  _ We don’t actually know, what’s done is done _ . Got it?” 

“So that’s our running theory, but otherwise we don’t know.” Kady agreed while sitting up and pursing her lips. 

“Seems like it.” Penny agreed, “but if I’m here then well Penny23 definitely remembers something wherever he ended up. Our soul technically split once he became a more permanent resident of this timeline. But we’re the same soul still. We gained two books and everything. Well actually we all had multiple books, one for each timeline but they were shelved differently then the one for our timeline and -” Penny cut himself off. “Doesn’t matter.” 

“That’s actually really fascinating if entirely irrelevant right now.” Quentin settled on.  

“Not that irrelevant Q,” Margo corrected, everyone looked at her, she was standing with her hands on her hips. An impressive glare pinning each of them, “Fen and Josh. Josh helped with the casting and Fen offered to be our focal point. Would have made more sense if either El, Julia or Alice was the center but we needed them to cast. We need to figure out if they are also back. Because if they are? Then Josh is stuck in the Netherlands and Fen is in Fillory. And we aren’t supposed to find them for at least two if not three months. And I’m not having that.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr under the same name (Mysoultogive).


End file.
